India vs New Zealand 5-match T20I series 2026 starts Jan 21. Surya leads India against Santner’s NZ. Squads, schedule, and live updates here.
New Delhi: The cricket world is still buzzing after New Zealand’s historic 2-1ODI series victory on Indian soil their first-ever bilateral ODI series win in India. Now, the action shifts to the shortest format as the five-match T20I series kicks off on January 21, 2026.
Captain Surya Kumar Yadav leads a strong Indian squad eager for redemption. The team faces some last-minute challenges: surgery sidelines Tilak Varma, allowing Shreyas Iyer to return for the first three matches, and Ravi Bishnoi replaces Washington Sundar, who is out with a side strain.
The Black Caps, led by Mitchell Santner, arrive with sky-high confidence. With the T20 World Cup just weeks away, this series is the ultimate dress rehearsal for both nations to find their perfect rhythm.
Series Schedule & Venues
All matches are scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM IST, with the toss taking place at 6:30 PM.
| Match | Date | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st T20 | Jan 21 | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium | Nagpur |
| 2nd T20 | Jan 23 | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium | Raipur |
| 3rd T20 | Jan 25 | Barsapara Cricket Stadium | Guwahati |
| 4th T20 | Jan 28 | Dr. YS Rajasekhara Reddy Stadium | Visakhapatnam |
| 5th T20 | Jan 31 | Greenfield International Stadium | Thiruvananthapuram |
Official Squads
- TEAM INDIA: Captain- Surya Kumar Yadav , Vice-Captain- Axar Patel, Batters: Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer (First 3 matches), Wicketkeepers- Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, All-rounders- Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Bowlers- Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi.
- TEAM NEW ZEALAND: Captain- Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ish Sodhi.
As the teams head to Nagpur for the opener, the stakes couldn’t be higher. India needs to prove their dominance at home, while New Zealand aims to prove their ODI triumph wasn’t a fluke.
For fans in India, you can catch every ball live on Star Sports or stream it via JioCinema and Disney+ Hotstar. Expect a week of explosive batting and high-intensity cricket as these two giants fine-tune their squads for the upcoming World Cup.
Also Read on jabalpur today: IND vs NZ ODI Series: Kohli scores 124 but India still lose by 41 runs to NZ’s B-team in decisive ODI at Holkar Stadium
